Public libraries have long been concerned with the usefulness of the interfaces through which patrons access the library catalog. With so much time and so many resources put into the development of a library catalog, the user experience is often criticized and antiquated. The goal of having catalogs available via EBSCOhost is to allow users to explore their library resources with ease based on what are now common search techniques. Adding library catalogs to EBSCOhost allows libraries to leverage the power of the intuitive EBSCOhost interface to present their catalogs to patrons via a familiar search experience already optimized for end users accustomed to Web searching.

An OCLC report: Online Catalogs: What Users and Librarians Want indicates that end users expect their library catalogs to function like the websites and search engines they use everyday.

The OCLC study asked end users to choose the information that is most essential in catalog searches. Respondents indicated that the following items were most important:

EBSCO Publishing Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Michael Gorrell, says using the EBSCOhost interface to provide library catalogs is a logical step in the development of EBSCOhost. “While EBSCOhost offers a strong starting point for access and utilizing catalogs, we have put a lot into specifically developing the service not only to provide a more intuitive user experience, but to heighten the value of the catalog records through contextually related material. Now libraries can offer a catalog search experience that heightens the value and usability for patrons, while also bringing to light important content held by the library where users can take advantage of it.”

Adding links to other library resources is another way using EBSCOhost as the online catalog’s front end can help public libraries leverage their subscription content. Libraries subscribing to an EBSCOhost database such as Literary Reference CenterÃ¢“¢ would be able to provide links from the catalog records to the pertinent literary criticisms or author biographies while NoveList® Select subscribers would be able to add reading recommendations for millions of titles. Libraries will also be able to add related information such as book reviews, similar books, other books by the same author and links to resources such as Google Book Search and social media sites. The ability to brand the interface with library colors and logos allows libraries to further market their valuable resources and push their services to patrons.

About EBSCO Publishing

EBSCO Publishing is the world’s premier database aggregator, offering a suite of more than 300 full-text and secondary research databases. Through a library of tens of thousands of full-text journals, magazines, books, monographs, reports and various other publication types from renowned publishers, EBSCO serves the content needs of all researchers (Academic, Medical, K-12, Public Library, Corporate, Government, etc.). The company’s product lines include proprietary databases such as Academic SearchÃ¢“¢, Business Source®, CINAHL®, DynaMedÃ¢“¢, Literary Reference CenterÃ¢“¢, MasterFILEÃ¢“¢, NoveList®, SocINDEXÃ¢“¢ and SPORTDiscusÃ¢“¢ as well as dozens of leading licensed databases such as ATLA Religion DatabaseÃ¢“¢, EconLit, Inspec®, MEDLINE®, MLA International Bibliography, NISCÃ¢“¢, The Philosopher’s IndexÃ¢“¢, PsycARTICLES® and PsycINFO®. Databases are powered by EBSCOhost®, the most-used for-fee electronic resource in libraries around the world. EBSCO is the provider of EBSCO Discovery ServiceÃ¢“¢ a core collection of locally-indexed metadata creating a unified index of an institution’s resources within a single, customizable search point providing everything the researcher needs in one place””fast, simple access to the library’s full text content, deeper indexing and more full-text searching of more journals and magazines than any other discovery service (http://www.ebscohost.com/discovery). For more information, visit the EBSCO Publishing Web site at: http://www.ebscohost.com. EBSCO Publishing is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.